The Knight of Death: The Bane From Within
by Kappa Taicho
Summary: Drizzt was not the only drow who was discontent with life in the Underdark. Follow the adventures of Auniira and her undead companion, Yoshiro as they form their own unique adventurer's group on the surface world. (I am accepting three original characters for the team. You can submit your OC through a review or you can PM me.)
1. Prologue

**(Disclaimer: I do not own Forgotten Realms, but I do own Auniira,Yoshiro, and House Teken'ghym.)**

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_The Knight of Death: The Bane From Within_

Prologue

What an odd boy.

She thought quietly to herself as she observed the young drow of House Do'Urden, Drizzt through the bowl. He was a prodigy.

"The best weapon master in the academy." She had been in her second year at the Academy of Menzoberranzan at the time he entered. She had always placed third before his admission. Now she was bumped down to fifth.

"Fifth!" The screechings of her matron still echoed in her head. "It's not enough that you refused to finish your training as a high priestess, but you dare slack off at Melee-Magthere. Now House Do'Urden has Lolth's favor!"

Did it look like she wanted to be in anyone's graces? She inwardly seethed.

She wasn't lazy. It was merely that she wanted to do something that she had control over. She despised being manipulated. She didn't want to serve House Teken'ghym for the rest of her life, and watch her younger siblings off each other in an attempt at gaining more power.

Disgusting.

"Yoshiro, bring me some water."

The undead human bowed, and silently left the room. Minutes later, he returned with a glass of water. He handed her the glass promptly.

"Thanks." It was funny how she treated an undead with more respect than her matron. What was also amusing was the fact that an undead easily 'snuck' into the academy every time there was a tournament. She snickered, knowing Yoshiro he probably just waltzed in here without a care in the world.

"He is a good swordsman." Yoshiro wasn't someone to give out compliments. If he said something was 'good' then that meant it was impressive.

She had a feeling that Yoshiro desired to duel Drizzt. She snorted. That's unsurprising considering he used to be a knight when he was still living. But Yoshiro could not challenge Drizzt. It would be unheard of for a lower creature to challenge a drow. They would kill him for even contemplating such a thought.

"Master?" She could see the worry in Yoshiro's pitch black eyes, or at least where there used to be eyes, as they arrived at House Teken'ghym. She sighed.

"Fetch me _Keryvian_." She lowered her voice enough for only the undead to hear. Yoshiro flinched. The last time he touched the one-handed bastard sword it had burned his hand. He hadn't gotten near it since then.

His master Auniira glanced at him. "Below my third drawer there is a secret compartment. Open it and you'll find a cloth that will enable you to hold the blade."

Auniira turned back to the bowl and cut off the images of Drizzt, only to see her reflection. Gold eyes stared right back. At the moment, she felt a great force pull her down. A telepathic voice seemed to whisper in her ears.

_Auniira…_ The voice was deceivingly soothing. _It is time._

The power suffocating her faded. Disoriented she leaned into the nearest wall. It took her several minutes to recover from the shock of such an omnipotent force. Hearing Yoshiro's footfalls she arose from the floor. Her lips formed into a sincere smile as she spotted the bundle in the undead's arms—the greatest Baneblade of Demron; all wrapped up in a holy cloth. He placed the clothed blade into her outstretched hand. As she unveiled the blade, she couldn't help but think about the irony of her name.

Harbringer of Death indeed.

* * *

Many years have passed since House Do'Urden fell out of favor with Lolth, and Drizzt became a rouge. She couldn't help but feel envious of him. How is that he managed to escape while she could not? Matron Minra suspected something was amiss with her, and had thus placed her elderbrother Solagh in charge of her 'safety'. She damned them. She had a duty to fulfill, and she could not do it while ensnared in Lolth's web or under Matron Minra's gaze. She had to plan her escape carefully.

Looking out the window, she caught sight of a trading caravan. The wheels in her mind began to turn before she called out the name of her loyal undead.

Perhaps learning a few phrases in common tongue would not be remiss.

* * *

Auniira chewed on a piece of meat or at least she hoped it was meat. But it would be foolish for the dwarves who graciously allowed her a free ride to the surface world to poison her. She was thankful for her kind's cutthroat reputation for it did not take much convincing for the dwarves to allow her to tag along with them.

She stretched her ebony fingers, and hastily pulled down the hood of her makeshift vermillion cloak as the first rays of the sun hit her. She had to avert her eyes for a few minutes until they finally adjusted to the lighting. She gasped.

The sky was an array of various yellows that faded into each other. She could not find a distinction or border that separated them as they flowed so perfectly into each other. The air around her hummed with power. She could feel the elements more strongly in the surface world than she could ever in the Underdark. The wind greeted her with a whistle. A happy one she could tell. The trees, the flowers and other plants she could not identify sang her welcome. It almost seemed as if they were all ushering her into their abode. She jumped off the caravan immediately and silently. Paying no heed to the calls of the surprised dwarves, she melted into the shadows of the forest.

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**The prologue is finished! Hopefully, I'll have some OC submissions by the end of the week so I can immediately start on the first chapter. Here are some requirements for your OC:**

**Name:**

**Nickname/Title/Alias:**

**Gender:**

**Race/Species:**

**Age:**

**Appearance:**

**Background:**

**Personality:**

**Strengths: (At least one)**

**Weaknesses: (At least three)**

**Class: (Wizard, Fighter, Rogue, Bard-Auniira is a Bard class so I don't need another Bard on the team, Warlock, Paladin, Ranger, Invoker, Cleric, Sorcerer, Swordmage, etc.)**

**Weapons/Conduits: **

**Alignment: (Lawful Good/Evil/Neutral, Neutral, Neutral Good/Evil, Chaotic Neutral/Evil/Good)**

*****I drew a picture of Auniira and Yoshiro. Copy and paste this link: kappa-taicho.(DeleteSpaceHere)deviant(DeleteSpaceH ere)art.(DeleteSpaceHere)com (DeleteSpaceHere)/art/Auniira-and-Yoshiro-3701(Del eteSpaceHere)04785 to see the pic. Remember to delete the part in parentheses. Or you can just go to DeviantArt's homepage and type in 'Auniira and Yoshiro'. My DA name is Kappa-Taicho  
**


	2. Chapter 1

**(Disclaimer: I do not own Forgotten Realms, but I do own Auniira and Yoshiro. Beineón and Cyleón belong to **_**SinTheShadowThief**_**. )**

_The Knight of Death: The Bane From Within_

_Chapter 1_

Gold orbs reluctantly opened as the sunlight blinded the 21-year-old drow. Auniira yawned, and snuggled into her silky cloak. A few more minutes of rest couldn't hurt.

"Master," the voice of her beloved undead brought her back to the land of the living. "We must make haste."

She groaned. "The ball of fire is in the sky Yoshiro."

"We should move into the shadows." Yoshiro pulled on the furry part of her hood. "The surface dwellers emerge in the daylight."

She sighed as she ran a hand through her long hair. "Fine, but you stand out," Yoshiro opened his mouth to correct his master, but Auniira waved her hand. "More than I do. I have a cloak to conceal—well everything, but you don't." The Death Lord nodded. He took one step back, and froze, almost like a statue, for a few seconds until he was abruptly consumed in pitch black flames. The flames fidgeted then shrunk into a necklace. Auniira picked up the accessory, and placed it in a hidden pocket of her left hand's sleeve.

Perhaps she should forage for food for the time being until she felt prepared for meeting any surface dwellers. But she had no more time to ponder over that line of thinking as her ears picked up the sound of footsteps. Shit! She wasn't prepared to meet anyone right away. At least until she got a lay of the land. She was at a disadvantage if the surface dweller decided she was an enemy.

As the sound of footfalls was approaching closer, Auniira quickly observed her surroundings. She cursed as she realized she had slept in an open clearing. No place to hide. She had no choice but to confront the strangers. She hid her surprise as the two strangers revealed themselves.

At first glance one would think that the tallest of the two male figures was a drow, but as she looked closer she noticed his hair was not white but a light gold. His skin was also a sickly gray—very different from the 'normal' gray that some drow possessed; because everyone knows that skin color of a drow was either black, dark blue, gray, or violet. Perhaps he was a half-drow?

The other male—a full-blooded sun elf— stood almost protectively over the half-blood. It seemed almost amusing considering the sun elf was as tall as she was, which was barely 5 feet and two inches, and the half-drow was over 5'4.''

Now how to approach them without seeming hostile, she pondered.

"Hello, I am Auniira." She gave a slight nod in greeting. "Formerly of House Teken'ghym."

She silently applauded herself for her neutral gestures. The two elves exchanged glances. The short one who may be a Fighter— considering he had a sleek but muscle toned build—stood erect with a wary stance.

"I am Cyleón," he gestured to his companion. "This is my friend Beineón."

Auniira was given the impression that Beineón was shy rather than suspicious of her. But she was stumped on what to do next. Back at home, she didn't have to worry about making friends since everyone looked out for only themselves.

Note to self; learn to socialize more. Having her head stuck in books for most of her life is not a good thing. But if there was anything she was good at, it'd be learning languages. She already had five languages under her belt—Undercommon, Abyssal, Draconic, Celestial, and just recently, Common. Although, she learned the last two from books and scrolls in the case of Celestial since angels— especially Solars— as she once learned, were honestly insulted if you did not put up effort to learn their tongue if you were going to speak to them.

She still remembered the tongue lashing she received from Death-Bringer, or at least that's what she thought it was since she couldn't understand what he was saying. Of course, by the expression on his face and surrounding energy one could not mistake that for anything but anger and irritation. Then again he might have been put off by her ogling.

Her lips turned upright at the memory. A very fake cough interrupted her musings. She was reminded that she was not alone.

"Why is a drow on the surface?" Cyleón questioned. He eyed Keryvian warily. Right, her blade was in plain sight. She mentally scolded herself for not strapping it on her back instead.

She folded her arms across her chest—a drow signal for 'I come in peace.' Hopefully, the surface dwellers acknowledge the sign. But with her luck they wouldn't understand what it meant.

"I abandoned life as a drow in the Underdark."

Beineón glanced at Cyleón, and held his stare for a few seconds. Where they having an unspoken conversation? She waited patiently for their next action. It wouldn't do to unintentionally antagonize them.

After Cyleón finished his conversation, he faced her and finally, gave his reply, "We are unsure if you speak the truth. But if you have indeed abandoned your kind's ways then you will not mind if we keep an eye on you."

So normally, surface dwellers stalk each other? Sounds ludicrous. But if it will quell their worries of her character then she will not argue.

"Sure." She smiled as she uncrossed her arms.

"Where are you headed Auniira?" Cyleón's stance dropped into a nonchalant demeanor. Auniira tilted her head. "Eh?" She was caught by surprise. She had not thought that far. She didn't even have a map of the surface world.

"I didn't have any destination in mind. I pretty much winged my escape from the Underdark." She shrugged. "Didn't think I'd get this far actually."

The tall half-drow gave a grin. "It seems _Mielikki_ shined upon you that day."

Auniira's eyes lit up in recognition. "You are a follower of the Forest Queen?" The proclamation came out more as a statement than a question. The two elves nodded.

"I have heard of her in my books." She fumbled with a blush. "Personally, I follow _Kelemvor_."

The blonde half-drow's eyebrows raised, "The Lord of the Dead? Why?"

The female drow was not offended by the question. She wore a patient smile that eerily resembled one that a mother bore for her curious child.

"After living for over twenty years in the Underdark, I realized how petty and tiny we all are in the grand scheme of things. Death will come for all of us eventually." A wave of serenity overcame Auniira as she continued. "Death is no more than passing from one room into another. But there's a difference for me, you know. Because in that other room I shall be able to see."

Beineón appeared to contemplate her words with a peaceful smile plastered over his face. Cyleón snorted, "That's sounds too deep for me. I'm not into the whole thinking about what's in the great beyond. I'm more into the _now_."

Auniira smirked "Of course."

All the Tel-quessir erupted into laughter. The tension from before had dissipated.

Cyleón swung his arm over her shoulder in an amiable manner. "Well, Beineón and I were headed to a small town not too far from here. I don't suppose you have any objections."

She turned towards Beineón, "Is he always this touchy-feely with others? Or am I just special?"

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**That's the end of Chapter One! Yay! By the way, I'm introducing one OC submission each chapter. For those who want to make a future submission I ask you not to submit any more fey humanoids (i.e. Drow, Dark Elf, or an Elf of any kind). There are other beings in Forgotten Realms like Deep Imaskari, Humans, Aasimar, Dwarves, Halflings, etc. You can look up more races on Forgotten Realm's wiki since there are many you can choose from. But try to be realistic as possible though because it's doubtful that a dragon or a relative of a deity would join Auniira's party. I may introduce an Immortal later along in the story briefly. But that Immortal will only play a minor role to speed up the plot.**


	3. Chapter 2

**(Disclaimer: I do not own Forgotten Realms, but I do own Auniira and Yoshiro. **_**Beineón**_** and **_**Cyleón **_**belong to **_**SinTheShadowThief**_**. **_**Vael Lateu**_** belongs to **_**habdreas323**_**.)**

"Common Speak"

"_Draconic Speak"_

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The Knight of Death: The Bane From Within

Chapter 2

"You should probably pull your hood up," drawled the sun elf. They had been traveling for four days through the forest. After all, having a drow and a half-drow in a traveling party would stand out in broad daylight. They had to take various measures not to be spotted by other travelers. "It would get complicated if someone sees you." Auniira nodded reluctantly. She hoped that the other races would be more accepting of her, but considering Cyleón's actions she was having doubts of staying in the surface world. What kind of life would she live here if she could not show her face in fear of persecution?

"What about him?" She gestured towards Beineón. "I doubt the townsmen will be very kind to him even if he has blood of a sun elf." The half-drow gave a sad sigh.

"It's true. I will have to hide my appearance as well," he chuckled. "Like always," his voice was sorrowful and resigned. It tugged at Auniira's heartstrings to see such a dejected expression on Beineón's face. She hated to admit it, but she had gotten quickly attached to the two elves in such a short time. Then again Yoshiro did always say she was too trusting of others.

"We are a few minutes away from the town gates," Cyleón handed the half-drow his cloak. It didn't take more than a minute for Beineón to be cloaked. Although, the cloak was supposed to conceal their features, in Auniira's opinion, they also screamed 'Look at me! I am a suspicious person.'

Thankfully, Cyleón had connections on the inside so getting in was no problem. But she had to resist the urge to correct Cyleón's previous statement of the 'town.' She scoffed, "This is a city! It's too large to be a town." Even Beineón appeared to be in agreement with her.

Cyleón shrugged, "It was smaller the last time I was here."

"And when was that? Fifty years ago?"

A grin formed on the sun elf's face. "Three."

Auniira could not conceal the surprise in her voice, "Impossible!"

Beineón's expression turned contemplative as he processed the information. She swore she saw a twinkle in his eyes before he finally spoke, "A migration! I heard about a large population of Halfings migrating a few years back, but I was not aware where they decided to settle."

"Did I ever tell you how awesome you are Bei when you talk nerdy?" Cy teased.

Bei twitched. "For one, _eww_. Don't go there. I'm not one of the girls you flirt with, and two, I know I'm awesome."

The only female of the group had her ears open to their conversation as she observed the short humanoids which, as Beineón previously stated, made up the populace. If it hadn't been for a few humans and elves she spotted, she could have stated that it was an all-halfling town. She eventually got bored of watching the inhabitants, and instead her attention drew to the short figures perched on Cy's and Bei's shoulders―Meek and Skit .

Auniira remembered being inadvertently introduced to the elves' little partners when she had almost stepped on Skit. The little thing was still shooting glares at her. Meek on the other hand, seemed almost amused. He was currently sitting on Beineón's shoulder throwing a smug look at Skit. Or at least that's the emotion she assumed Skit was showing.

When she noticed that two sun elves were not going to finish their conversation any time soon, she noticed a nearby tavern. Hmm…

* * *

"Hey, where's Auniira?"

The two ferrets secretly laughed as they watched the elves search frantically for the drow.

* * *

Auniira found herself sitting in a desolate corner of the tavern. Although the lighting in the tavern was poor, the surrounding people were cheery, and dare she say, rambunctious. The waitress, a beautiful and busty brunette, approached her with a smile despite the fact that her customer appeared as suspicious as a fiend was evil. Auniira ordered a dozen bottles of liquor and a full course meal. Normally, she would have at least three dozen, but that was back at home. Now, she had to conserve her coins for future gear, shelter, food, and water.

Once the waitress left, Auniira felt like slapping herself for not realizing that she would have to reach out with her hand to eat or drink, and if someone were to see her dark skin…

She groaned. She would either be mistaken as an undead or a drow, and neither would bode well for her as both are seen as evil.

"_Excuse me."_ Auniira nearly jumped at the sound of the masculine voice behind her. _"Do you mind if I sit here? The other seats are occupied."_

Even though the drow had her entire body wrapped tightly, Auniira was still wary of accidentally exposing her skin. But it would be rude and suspicious if she did not let him have the seat.

"_Sure."_ Once he sat in front of her she took the chance to scrutinize him. He appeared to be a handsome man approaching his middle ages with long silver hair and a masculine goatee. She caught his icy blue eyes staring at her necklace. Could he sense Yoshiro's presence?

"_Pardon me, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Vael Lateu."_ She gave a nod in return.

"_I'm Auniira."_ The man smiled. Well actually, he was already smiling when he introduced himself. His aura reflected on his serene demeanor.

But Auniira could not shake the feeling that something didn't seem entirely human about him. Luckily, the waitress returned with her order. With a quick glance at the drinks Vael mentally grimaced.

_"Are you drinking all of that?"_ He could not hide the surprise in his voice.

_"Yeah, were you expecting me to share Silver?"_ The man was taken aback.

_"Silver?"_

The disguised drow shrugged, _"It's a nickname. Your name sounds too formal."_

Vael nodded. He couldn't argue with that logic.

_"I don't suppose you came here alone,"_ he questioned, _"I mean―you don't look the type to wander around these parts." _Auniira stiffened at his words. The way he worded them made her apprehensive.

_"Well, I don't picture you in such an establishment either."_

He stared at her for a long time, almost as if analyzing her before finally speaking.

_"Not many people can speak in Draconic."_ Oh! She didn't realize she had slipped into Draconic speak nor the fact that he had spoken in Draconic since he introduced himself. Seldom did any being who spoke Draconic wander so close to such crowded urban areas.

_"What matter of creature are you that you must conceal your person_?" He lifted a glass of liquor to his mouth.

_"Shouldn't I be asking that too? You are not entirely human."_ She retorted. She probably sounded like a snake rearing its fangs. Before Silver could say anything he was interrupted by the sound of a table being tossed along with its contents.

Auniira swiftly dodged the airborne objects as Silver caught the thrown table. She heard him mutter something about 'rowdy halflings.' She ignored him, and instead, drew her attention to the shouts and jeering of enraged halflings of the growing crowd. Said crowd surrounded two familiar faces.

"Shit."

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**Sorry it came out late, but I had to finish my college work. I'm doing summer semester so my chapters will end up being posted late. Comment, rate and review please. I need y'all to critique my work.**


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